Description

Can Orthodox Christianity offer unique spiritual resources especially suited to the environmental concerns of today? This book makes the case that yes, it can. In addition to being the first substantial and comprehensive collection of essays, in any language, to address environmental issues from the Orthodox point of view, this volume with contributions from the most highly influential theologians and philosophers in contemporary world Orthodoxy will engage a wide audience, in academic as well as popular circles--resonating not only with Orthodox audiences but with all those in search of a fresh approach to environmental theory and ethics that can bring the resources of ancient spirituality to bear on modern challenges.

I. "Knowledge United to God": Environment, Nature, and Creation in Patristic ThoughtThe Logoi of Beings in Greek Patristic ThoughtDavid Bradshaw Hierarchy and Love in St. Dionysius the AreopagiteEric D. Perl The Beauty of the World and Its Significance in St. Gregory the TheologianJohn Anthony McGuckinNatural Contemplation in St. Maximus the Confessor and St. Isaac the SyrianMetropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen) Man and Cosmos in St. Maximus the ConfessorAndrew Louth

II. "The Heart That Receives": Environment, Nature, and Creation In Twentieth-Century Orthodox ThoughtEcology, Theology, and the WorldSavas Agouridis Through Creation to the CreatorMetropolitan Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia Creation as Communion in Contemporary Orthodox TheologyAristotle Papanikolaou The Theological-Ethical Contributions of Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov) to Environmental IssuesPerry T. Hamalis The Cosmology of the EucharistGeorge Theokritoff "A 'Tradition' That Never Existed": Orthodox Christianity and the Failure of Environmental HistoryJurretta Jordan Heckscher A New Heaven and a New Earth: Orthodox Christian Insights from Theology, Spirituality, and the SacramentsJohn Chryssavgis Proprietors or Priests of Creation?Metropolitan John (Zizioulas) of Pergamon

III. "Love Comes from Meeting God": Historical, Theological, and Philosophical Dimensions Sedimentation of Meaning in the Concepts of Nature and the EnvironmentJames Carey Existential versus Regulative Approaches: The Environmental Issue as an Existential and Not a Canonical ProblemChristos Yannaras Nature and Creation: A Comment on the Environmental Problem from a Philosophical and Theological StandpointNikos Nissiotis Physis and Ktisis: Two Different Ways of Thinking of the WorldJohn Panteleimon ManoussakisHuman Image, World Image: The Renewal of Sacred CosmologyPhilip SherrardEnvironment and Security: Toward a Systemic Crisis of Humanity?Costa CarrasChurch Walls and Wilderness Boundaries: Defining the Spaces of SanctuaryL. Michael HarringtonOrthodoxy and Ecopoetics: The Green World in the Desert SeaAlfred K. SiewersPerspectives on Orthodoxy, Evolution, and EcologyGayle E. WoloschakEcology, Morality, and the Challenges of the Twenty-First Century: The Earth in the Hands of the Sons of NoahH. Tristram Engelhardt Jr.

IV. "Sweetness Overflowing onto the Earth": Insights from Orthodox SpiritualityThe Fragile SurroundScott Cairns Liturgy, Cosmic Worship, and Christian CosmologyElizabeth Theokritoff"All Creation Rejoices in You": Creation in the Liturgies for the Feasts of the TheotokosChristina M. Gschwandtner Traces of Divine Fragrance, Droplets of Divine Love: On the Beauty of Visible CreationBruce V. Foltz Natural and Supernatural Revelation in Early Irish and Greek Monastic Thought: A Comparative ApproachChrysostomos KoutloumousianosEcology and MonasticismArchimandrite VasileiosThe Prophetic Charisma in Pastoral Theology: Asceticism, Fasting, and the Ecological CrisisAnestis KeselopoulosThe Spirit of God Moved upon the Face of the Waters: Orthodox Holiness and the Natural WorldDonald Sheehan

AppendixesA. Vespers for the EnvironmentTranslated by Archimandrite Ephrem (Lash)B. Environment, Nature, and Creation in Orthodox Thought: A Bibliography of Texts in EnglishCompiled by John Chryssavgis and Bruce V. Foltz C. GlossaryCompiled by Nicholas R. Anton

Author Information

The Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis, Archdeacon of the Ecumenical Throne, taught theology in Sydney and Boston. He currently serves as theological advisor to the Ecumenical Patriarch on environmental issues. His environmental publications include Beyond the Shattered Image (Light & Life) and On Earth as in Heaven (Fordham).

Bruce V. Foltz, Professor of Philosophy at Eckerd College is founding President for both the International Association for Environmental Philosophy and the Society for Nature, Philosophy, and Religion. His environmental publications include Inhabiting the Earth: Heidegger, Environmental Ethics, and the Metaphysics of Nature; Rethinking Nature: Essays in Environmental Philosophy; and The Noetics of Nature: Environmental Philosophy and the Holy Beauty of the Visible (forthcoming Fordham).

Reviews and Awards

"This anthology is a monumental contribution to the literature on religion and ecology. The abundant contributions of the Orthodox tradition to seeing into the sacred depths of nature are evident in this rich collection of essays. It will stand as a classic in the field for years to come and help reshape reflections on our shared planetary future."-Mary Evelyn Tucker, Forum on Religion at Ecology at Yale

"Because the ecological crisis of our day is fundamentally a crisis of values, religious traditions have a crucial role in fostering a reverent sense of affiliation with the natural world. Two aspects of the present collection were especially illuminating for me in this regard. One was the vision of nature as a community of logoi: organisms and objects that in addition to being created by the Divine Logos, directly participate in that same creative mystery and power. The other was the sensuality and sweetness that Orthodox believers have often found in nature, from the poetry of St. Isaac the Syrian right up to the vision of our contemporary Bartholomew the "Green Patriarch." I feel personally grateful for this ambitious, inspiring, and timely book."-John Elder, Professor Emeritus of English and Environmental Studies at Middlebury College

"I must say from the onset that my enthusiasm can hardly be contained!. . . . To my knowledge there are no books currently being offered that provide the depth and scholarship found here. . . . This manuscript has gathered the best in the field and collated them into what certainly can become a foundational text book for further academic study."-Rev. Chad Hatfield, Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary

"I rate this as perhaps the signature work on Orthodoxy and the Environment (and Nature) available in English. [Its] range of topics and specializations make it useful for people who are not Orthodox and for those with diverse academic backgrounds. It is difficult to imagine anyone who cannot learn or benefit from some chapters or parts of this book."-Daniel P. Buxhoeveden, Research Professor, Founder and Director of the Religion and Science Initiative, University of South Carolina